Monthly Archives: February 2020

Wind, solar, and natural gas are driving nuclear power out of business

Preface. I’m no fan of nuclear power because we may already be at peak uranium, there’s nowhere to store nuclear waste, and a spent nuclear pool fire could harm millions of people. But renewable wind and solar and natural gas … Continue reading

Posted in Nuclear Power Energy, Solar, Wind | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Getting Arctic oil and natural gas will take decades or more

Preface. Only one exploratory well can be drilled in the short arctic summers, and many more need to be drilled to even find and then explore the size of a potential oil field to see if it is worth extracting.  … Continue reading

Posted in Arctic | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Getting Arctic oil and natural gas will take decades or more

MIT: Why the electric-car revolution may take a lot longer than expected

Preface. This study from MIT explains why price parity of electric and gasoline vehicles is likely to take a lot longer than 5 years, and perhaps never if cars continue to depend on lithium-ion batteries. Deeper cost declines beyond 2030 … Continue reading

Posted in Automobiles, Lithium-ion | Tagged | 5 Comments

Charles Hall: politicians and economy do best when oil is cheap

Preface. Politicians claim credit for a good economy, but what makes an economy prosperous? Cheap oil. During Trump’s reign “relatively cheap oil and gas are keeping the U.S. economy strong. But this cheap oil and gas is being partially subsidized … Continue reading

Posted in Charles A. S. Hall | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Russia has been bombarding Ukraine with fake news since 2014. Sound familiar?

Preface.  Long before Russia bombarded the U.S. with fake news in the 2016 election campaign, Ukraine was the target, where Russia honed its propaganda skills. The parallels with their fake news assault on the U.S. are striking, perhaps if more … Continue reading

Posted in Critical Thinking, Oil shock collapse, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fox news estranges millions of families and instills hate and fear in its cult members

Preface.  This is a book review that has key excerpts of “Foxocracy”, by Tobin Smith, who worked at Fox for 14 years and was friends with Roger Ailes as well as the staff that decided what the propaganda of the … Continue reading

Posted in Critical Thinking, Political Books, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fox news estranges millions of families and instills hate and fear in its cult members

Nothing is true & everything Is possible: the surreal heart of the new Russia by Peter Pomerantsev

Preface. In light of how greatly Russia influenced the election of Trump, it’s worth reading this book to see how Russia has used propaganda to control their own people, keep Putin in office, and in general how the rule of … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption & Finance, Critical Thinking, Financial | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The shocking truth about life in Saudi Arabia: Oppression, conformity, & poverty

Preface. Saudi Arabia produces 1 in 4 barrels of oil. Their fate will affect all of us as energy declines. Yet most Saudis are poor despite the $400 billion in income from oil. They lack decent homes, health care, sanitation, … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The shocking truth about life in Saudi Arabia: Oppression, conformity, & poverty

William Rees: Memo from a Climate Crisis Realist: The Choice before Us

Preface. I’m going to put Rees’ conclusion of 11 things to do first (rather than the Green New Deal, which can’t possibly work), followed by his arguments for why this needs to be done (if you haven’t read part 1 … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Expert Advice, Experts | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

William E. Rees: Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist

Preface. William E. Rees is professor emeritus of human ecology and ecological economics at the University of British Columbia. He’s one of my favorite ecological writers and has written about energy, limits to growth, overshoot, sustainability and other ecological topics … Continue reading

Posted in William Rees | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments